tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post1353534236257061384..comments2024-03-28T09:22:36.967+13:00Comments on Offsetting Behaviour: Property rights and development constraintsEric Cramptonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15831696523324469713noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-24554499495357201542010-12-06T20:39:20.981+13:002010-12-06T20:39:20.981+13:00@hefe: I don't know what the proper tradeoff i...@hefe: I don't know what the proper tradeoff is between conservation land and development. But it would be nice to know what the value was that was saved in this case.<br /><br />@Anon: Excellent points all. Cursed impossibility of complete contracts!Eric Cramptonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15831696523324469713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-50071677515206935872010-12-05T21:59:39.849+13:002010-12-05T21:59:39.849+13:00I think it would be fairly difficult to pin blame ...I think it would be fairly difficult to pin blame on DoC; Pike River knew what they were dealing with from the start. <br /><br />What will be interesting to find out though is what the sequence of events was with regard to DoC negotiations. It is inevitable that any initial agreement between the two parties would be revisited during the design and construction process as the situation develops and more information comes to light.<br /><br />For example did Pike River go to DoC and say from the beginning that they wanted/needed to do a detailed drilling investigation? Or did this requirement only emerge and expand some way "down the track"? Likewise the need for more than one ventilation shaft?<br /><br />I would expect that a lot of these types of issues would have only been brought to the negotiating table after Pike had already spent a lot of money, and possibly weren't discussed or articulated during the initial negotiations (I base this purely on my own experience as a civil engineer). So the question is how were future contingencies dealt with in the initial agreements if at all. The only way I could see DoC being at fault is if they were found to have backtracked from the initial agreements.<br /><br />Apart from the issue of backtracking, it would be incumbent on the mine developer not DoC to ensure these issues were sorted. They are the ones who ultimately make the initial decision about whether to go ahead with the project based on the constraints and risks.<br /><br />Of more interest I think will be the internal discussions and decisions within Pike River. How were the risks of constructing a tunnel and mine with limited drilling information articulated by the engineers to management? Even with a 'best-practise' amount of drilling information there is always some risk, with only a little information there is a bit more risk. Did the management really understand these risks which aren't really quantifiable?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-40559214237936893212010-12-05T21:25:55.975+13:002010-12-05T21:25:55.975+13:00It seems to me the cause of the explosion was a po...It seems to me the cause of the explosion was a pocket of methane gas being breached and simultaneously ignited. Should this have been a vertical shaft mine, the outcome seems just as likely in the absence of controlled drilling and draining of methane pockets.<br /><br />As co-owner of the National Park in question, I'm pretty happy that it wasn't vandalised so some some slightly cheaper coal could be sent to India. Steel is important (especially for brewing beer) but so is protecting unique tracts of amazing landscape and biodiversity - this will be even more apparent when everywhere else has been dug up for coal.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2830084253401570472.post-4023491649718074712010-12-05T19:23:04.470+13:002010-12-05T19:23:04.470+13:00Nice analysis Eric. There is a lot to learn yet ab...Nice analysis Eric. There is a lot to learn yet about whether and how DoC constraints had a role in either the likelihood of the event or its consequences.john smallhttp://www.progressiveturmoil.comnoreply@blogger.com